Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 6 August  1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The SA Wind Energy Association is concerned about Eskom’s failed bid to reserve grid capacity for renewable energy projects procured by the state. The National Energy Regulator of South Africa ruled that Eskom’s application was unclear and vague. After the failure of bid window six of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, no bids were awarded for wind power projects due to a lack of grid access. The association says bid window seven, which seeks to procure five-thousand-megawatts of new generation capacity, is likely to fail as well.

# The E-Waste Recycling Authority is targeting a waste-to-landfill ratio of zero-percent for this year, as electronic waste is growing five times faster than documented e-waste recycling globally. Last year, the authority met 22-percent of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment’s national target of e-waste collection for the country. It also achieved 91-percent of its own e-waste collection target. ERA says much progress on the collection of e-waste has been made in the information and communication technology and domestic appliances industries.

# And finally, the Department of Water and Sanitation says it is pleased with the community’s involvement in the clean-up of the Tyhume River in the Eastern Cape. The department has kickstarted a clean-up of the river, which runs through the Raymond Mhlaba Municipality. This forms part of its Clear Rivers campaign. The department’s Bolekwa Kama says the persistent issue of raw sewage entering the river systems remains a significant concern:

Stay tuned for more news………….